If something has been preserved at home, and it has deteriorated, swollen or banged, then it is not always possible to just take it and throw it away. Botulinum toxin could well have accumulated there, which is easy to poison.
The most important thing
If something is rolled up in jars, then do not try this thing if it leaks, or the lid is loose on it.
How to check
If properly preserved, the lids on the cans should fit snugly, and should be slightly sucked inward by vacuum.
Raise the can to eye level and check for dried areas on the surface of the product, for gas bubbles rising from below, and for a suspicious color.
After opening the can, smell the stench, look for mold on the surface of the product, look for splashes of the product on the inner surface of the lid (this happens from putrefactive bubbles).
What to do with the jar
It's about botulinum toxin. In the last article, we were talking about bacterial spores. So the microbe that secretes botulinum toxin can make spores.
These disputes can be anywhere around us. If the spores get into the food with enough acid, the microbe will not grow there. This happens when the pH of the product is below 4.6. Usually only fruits and berries correspond to this.
All other foods, including meat, dairy, all vegetables and even tomatoes are considered low acid. They can be a breeding ground for the botulinum toxin-secreting microbe. If such a low-acid product is rolled up without air access, then spores can germinate and create toxin.
If a jar with such a low-acid product deteriorates, then here "two ways":
- If the can is swollen but not leaking, then quietly pack it in a sturdy garbage bag and throw it away with your regular trash.
- If the jar has leaked, then things get more complicated. There may be a decent dose of botulinum toxin that can easily get into your mouth or into a sore on your skin. This can lead to very dangerous botulism. Such a jar needs detoxification.
Detoxification
Be very careful here! This is not a joke.
The leaked can should be carefully placed on its side in a large saucepan. After that, you need to thoroughly wash your hands right in gloves (now everyone has learned how to wash their hands).
Carefully fill the leaked jar with water so that the water covers it on top and another couple of centimeters. Do not splash the water as the toxin may already be there.
Cover the pot with a lid and boil the jar for 30 minutes. Botulinum toxin is destroyed by boiling.
After that, cool the leaked can and throw it along with the lid and contents into your regular trash.
And that is not all
Now you need to wash the kitchen, refrigerator, cellar or shelf on which this muck has spilled. You can get botulism if the toxin gets into your mouth or on damaged skin. Therefore, do not take off your gloves, but dilute the bleach containing 5 - 6% sodium hypochlorite. Take one part bleach to five parts water.
So that's it. With a diluted one to five bleach, it is necessary to wipe (or it is better to sprinkle it from a spray bottle) all the places with which the leaked can came into contact. You need to process all the rags with which you wiped off the drips, all surfaces, a can opener and all that. The bleach should be left on the surfaces for 30 minutes.
Canned food streaks visible and filled with bleach must be wiped off with paper towels after 30 minutes. Used towels should be tucked into a plastic bag and only then thrown into the trash.
And that is not all. After wiping off the streaks with paper towels, apply the bleach to these surfaces again and wait again for 30 minutes. Then you just have to wash everything. This is the only way to get rid of the toxin on the surfaces.
So much for the leaked bank. Complicated?
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